Elisabeth Brooks
Encyclopedia
Elisabeth Brooks was a Canadian
film and television actress
.
Brooks was born Elisabeth Brooks Luyties in Toronto
, Ontario
and began her acting career aged five encompassing both stage and screen. She started appearing in television roles in the mid-1970s and managed to pursue her acting career as a single mother while working a variety of jobs to support herself and her son. She appeared regularly on the soap opera
Days of our Lives
, and in such popular television series as The Rockford Files
, Hart to Hart
, Starsky and Hutch
, The Six Million Dollar Man
and Emergency!
Brooks is probably best remembered for her role as the evil leather-clad siren Marsha Quist in the horror film
The Howling
(1981), a role that brought her considerable notoriety within the genre. She was considered for the role of Brenda Wyatt in the 1986 cult classic Highlander
.
Brooks was not only an actress, but also a writer, poet and singer. She had a deep, sultry voice and can be heard singing briefly in the independent film The Forgotten One (1989), a film she starred in with her friend Kristy McNichol
. She and McNichol split up in 1993 after 13 years together but the Empty Nest
actress came back to care for her friend in her final days. Brooks's son Jeremy took photographs of his mother and McNichol in her last months that were published in January 1997. Brooks was also known for her spirituality and encouragement of others. She wrote and produced plays that taught children about the environment, and how they could work with parents to improve their community. An example of this was "Orphan Dreams", which she directed first at Calabasas High School and again at Chamber at Studio City.
After a three-year struggle with brain cancer
, Brooks died in a hospice near her home in Palm Springs, California
aged 46. As Gigi Porter wrote in a tribute to her, "let it be said, Elisabeth Brooks was no quitter. She was a fighter...a true warrior to the end." She was unmarried, with one son, Jeremy.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
film and television actress
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Brooks was born Elisabeth Brooks Luyties in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and began her acting career aged five encompassing both stage and screen. She started appearing in television roles in the mid-1970s and managed to pursue her acting career as a single mother while working a variety of jobs to support herself and her son. She appeared regularly on the soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
, and in such popular television series as The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files is an American television drama series which aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974 and January 10, 1980. It has remained in regular syndication to the present day. The show stars James Garner as Los Angeles-based private investigator Jim Rockford and features Noah...
, Hart to Hart
Hart to Hart
Hart to Hart is an American television series, starring Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers as Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, a wealthy couple who also moonlighted as amateur detectives. The series was created by writer Sidney Sheldon and produced by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg...
, Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch is a 1970s American cop thriller television series that consisted of a 90-minute pilot movie and 92 episodes of 60 minutes each; created by William Blinn, produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast between April 30, 1975 and May 15, 1979 on the ABC...
, The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man is an American television series about a former astronaut with bionic implants working for the OSI...
and Emergency!
Emergency!
Emergency! is an American television series that combines the medical drama and action-adventure genres. It was produced by Mark VII Limited and distributed by Universal Studios...
Brooks is probably best remembered for her role as the evil leather-clad siren Marsha Quist in the horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
The Howling
The Howling (film)
The Howling is a 1981 werewolf-themed horror film directed by Joe Dante. Based on the novel of the same name by Gary Brandner, the screenplay is written by John Sayles and Terence H. Winkless...
(1981), a role that brought her considerable notoriety within the genre. She was considered for the role of Brenda Wyatt in the 1986 cult classic Highlander
Highlander (film)
Highlander is a 1986 fantasy action film directed by Russell Mulcahy and based on a story by Gregory Widen. It stars Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Clancy Brown, and Roxanne Hart. The film depicts the climax of an ages-old battle between immortal warriors, depicted through interwoven past and...
.
Brooks was not only an actress, but also a writer, poet and singer. She had a deep, sultry voice and can be heard singing briefly in the independent film The Forgotten One (1989), a film she starred in with her friend Kristy McNichol
Kristy McNichol
Christina Ann "Kristy" McNichol is an American actress.McNichol is best known for her roles as Leticia “Buddy” Lawrence on the television drama series Family and as Barbara Weston on the sitcom Empty Nest. She is also the sister of former child actor Jimmy McNichol...
. She and McNichol split up in 1993 after 13 years together but the Empty Nest
Empty Nest
Empty Nest is an American sitcom that originally aired on NBC from 1988 to 1995. The series was created as a spin-off of The Golden Girls by creator and producer Susan Harris. For its first three seasons, Empty Nest was one of the year's top 10 most-watched programs...
actress came back to care for her friend in her final days. Brooks's son Jeremy took photographs of his mother and McNichol in her last months that were published in January 1997. Brooks was also known for her spirituality and encouragement of others. She wrote and produced plays that taught children about the environment, and how they could work with parents to improve their community. An example of this was "Orphan Dreams", which she directed first at Calabasas High School and again at Chamber at Studio City.
After a three-year struggle with brain cancer
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
, Brooks died in a hospice near her home in Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
aged 46. As Gigi Porter wrote in a tribute to her, "let it be said, Elisabeth Brooks was no quitter. She was a fighter...a true warrior to the end." She was unmarried, with one son, Jeremy.